Chapter 129 Driven to the Extreme
Alexander's footsteps paused on the stairs. He stood still for a moment, then turned back.
He left a single instruction: "Find some time. Ask her how she wants the terrace arranged."
In front of the Hamilton family corporate headquarters, a black Maybach rolled smoothly to a stop at the entrance.
Alexander pushed open the car door. He had barely stepped out when a slender figure rushed from the side, blocking his path.
"Alex! I finally found you!"
Celeste.
She looked haggard. She had clearly tried to dress up, but tears streaked her face, smudging her carefully drawn eyeliner. She looked wrecked and pitiful.
Alexander's brow furrowed. "What are you doing here? This isn't where you belong."
"Alex, please listen to me!"
Ignoring the shocked stares of passing employees, Celeste grabbed his sleeve.
"I know I was wrong! I shouldn't have… shouldn't have let Mom do it! I let jealousy cloud my judgment. But I didn't mean for it to happen! Mom told me she was going to send Caroline away, keep her from seeing you again. I didn't know she planned to… to kill her!"
Alexander stopped walking. His gray-blue eyes lowered, sweeping coldly over her tear-stained face.
"Do you even believe that yourself?"
Celeste's hand froze on his sleeve. The color drained from her face.
She opened her mouth to defend herself, but the tears came faster. "I… I…"
"Even if you truly didn't know. Even if you had no intention. You and your mother still crossed a line."
He pulled his sleeve free with deliberate force.
"Even the things I discard or destroy—it's not anyone else's place to dispose of them for me. Especially not… in that way."
His last few words were soft, but the threat was unmistakable.
Celeste trembled. Her mind flashed back to that afternoon in the living room—the blood. She didn't dare speak.
But as Alexander turned to leave, panic overtook her.
She abandoned all pretense of dignity, lunged forward, and dropped to her knees. Wrapping both arms around his leg, she looked up at him, tears streaming down her face.
"Alex! Please forgive me just this once! I swear, I only did it because I care about you too much! And I felt for Edith! She saved Caroline's life, remember? But now, just because Caroline lost her memory, she gets to twist the truth? Pin everything on Edith? If Edith could see this from above, how heartbroken would she be?"
Her words were broken, desperate.
Alexander's footsteps stopped.
But to Celeste's surprise, his face showed no sympathy. If anything, his expression grew darker.
"Are you defending Edith? Or do you have your own agenda?"
The bottomless cold in his eyes made Celeste's heart lurch. She shook her head frantically, tears spilling down.
"No! I don't! How could I? Alex, my only selfish reason is that I love you too much! As for anything else, I've never wanted anything! I have a home now only because Edith is gone, and I was brought in to fill the space she once held. How could I betray her memory like that?!"
Alexander listened. The icy storm in his eyes seemed to still for a moment.
He fell silent, letting Celeste cling to his leg, sobbing and pleading. He didn't speak for a long time.
Edith again.
That name. That shadow. Once, she had haunted his dreams.
Now she was a chain, locked around his soul.
He wanted to kick Celeste away. But before he could move, something stopped him.
Finally, he closed his eyes and spoke.
"From now on, stay in line."
He opened his eyes, staring down at her coldly.
"My private residence—you enter only when I allow it. If you force your way in again like last time, don't blame me for cutting the last thread between us."
Celeste heard him relent. Joy surged through her. She nodded frantically.
"I understand! I'll never do it again! I'll stay in line. I won't cause you any more trouble!"
Then she looked up at him cautiously, testing the waters. "So… Alex, can I still stay by your side? I mean, as a friend… or if you need a companion for events, I could…"
Alexander frowned, impatience clear in his expression.
But after a moment's thought, he didn't refuse.
Caroline's current physical and mental state was clearly unsuitable for public appearances—at least until she improved.
He said flatly, "Suit yourself."
Then he stopped looking at her, pulled his leg free, and strode toward the building's revolving doors.
Celeste stayed kneeling, watching him disappear behind the glass. Only then did her tense body relax. She let out a long, shaky breath.
At least he hadn't completely rejected her.
As long as she could stay near him—even as a companion on call—she still had a chance.
If she could get close to him, she'd find a way to win back his attention.
But after several crushing failures, she had learned her lesson.
Trying to eliminate Caroline through direct, brutal methods was nearly impossible now.
Alexander's protective instincts toward that woman had grown frighteningly strong.
She would have to try something else.
Celeste got to her feet, dusting off her skirt and swiping away the tear-streaks from her cheeks. If jealousy, sabotage, even murder could no longer serve her, she would have to turn to far more drastic measures.
One way or another, Alexander Hamilton would be hers.
That evening, Liam returned with a team of designers. He knocked on the master bedroom door.
Caroline sat on the edge of the bed, staring out the window at the sinking sun. The knock startled her. She turned to see Liam entering with several strangers, wariness flashing in her eyes. She instinctively shrank back toward the headboard.
"Ma'am, don't be alarmed." Liam quickly put on a reassuring smile.
"Mr. Hamilton sent me. He heard you wanted to redesign the terrace, so he asked me to bring in some top designers to hear your ideas."